Break deserved

The players were thrilled to get the afternoon practice off, which was scheduled to go from 2:45 to 3:55. After a grueling start to camp, this is the first real chance the players have had to catch their breath.

I've been getting a lot of questions about whether Brad Childress is pulling a "Les Steckel." But I think the best measure of that isn't the fact that three players left practice today. It's, 'What kind of injuries did they have?' Well, LT Bryant McKinnie left the field with a left-hand injury, which had nothing to do with Childress. RB Ciatrick Fason left with a concussion, which comes with the territory. And WR Marcus Robinson tweaked his neck.

Injuries that are telling of a coach pushing too hard are hamstring, quad and calf injuries. Thus far, only a few players have had strains that have kept them out of practice or limited them, most notably receiver Koren Robinson (right calf) and safety Darren Sharper (hamstring).

Defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin said Sharper is day to day, and McKinnie said Wednesday he would be fine and ready to practice Thursday.